Happenstance
by SigmaFactor
Summary: Len believed that it was their music that would bring them together, not some random taxi cab down the street. Chapter 6: Skeletons
1. Step One

I.

When they met, it was purely coincidental. It's been five years since they last saw each other. They were nineteen then, and their encounter, although brief and bittersweet, was still etched on their minds. A permanent reminder that fate wasn't on their side to begin with.

They were now at the tender age of twenty four, a good five years has past and they still didn't know what to say. If he were somebody else, she would've told him off because _clearly _she called the taxi first. If she were somebody else, he would've brushed her off coolly, not even bothering to waste his breath on an such an idiotic woman.

But when gold met gold, they stood frozen in place.

That was until another man decided to take the taxi, wondering _what in God's name _those two were doing. '_Kids these days are such slow pokes,' _the man grumbled.

"Well that was rude." The redhead commented, obviously still dazed.

"Yes. Well so is staring."

"Which you're obviously still doing," she said with a smirk. "It's been a while, Tsukimori-kun."

He nodded. "It has."

They were silent again, but Len knew better this time.

"There's a cafe around the block. If you're not too busy..."

II.

"So here I am, no longer unemployed -_thank God- _but still technically homeless. I'm such a mess."

Kahoko was mindlessly stirring her coffee as Len stared at her.

Again.

This was their third meeting ever since the taxi incident, and no, they told their friends, this was definitely _not _a date. They weren't sure who they were trying to convince, though.

"Move in with me."

Maybe it was her sob story, or maybe it was the sweets (he really didn't handle sugar rush well), or maybe it was for old time's sake, but those four words slipped out of his mouth so casually that it he questioned his mental health. Clearly, he was going insane.

"Are you sure?"

"Completely."

Yep, definitely insane.

III.

"So you're saying that this is a win-win situation?"

"That is correct. She would have a place to stay and I would have someone to watch over the apartment when I'm gone."

"The apartment and the cat?"

"Yes, Momo too."

Ryoutaro watched Len flip through his music scores. This was... sudden. He was still recovering from the incident earlier that morning when Kahoko -of all people- clad only in a an oversized shirt and pajama shorts, greeted him at Len's door.

Len's humming brought him back to reality and threw him off again. It was a _pop _song for crying out loud. What did that woman do to him?

He texted his girlfriend to call him immediately after work. Manami was definitely going to love this.

* * *

_A/N: And I'm back with another story featuring our little ice cube, yay! So what do you guys think? Any comment? Suggestions? Feel free to write a review._

_In other news, episode two of Blue Sky is up and *gasp* was that Len playing Ave Maria? I really hope the original characters would have a cameo appearance this season. Based on the game, I know Etou is going to be there, and I have a feeling Kazuki would be too since he was part of the orchestra club. I'm looking forward to the next episode._


	2. Change

_IV._

Two months after Kahoko moved in, Len found a problem.

Her cooking was making him fat.

It wasn't his fault. Everything the woman cooked was so darn_ delicious_ that he had no choice but to eat them.

Especially the cinnamon rolls. They were _evil._

"Uh huh. So would you rather I throw the food out instead?" she replied, laughing when he addressed the issue.

He looked at the tray of cinnamon rolls cooling on the counter. _Pure evil._

"Don't be silly."

He went straight to his bedroom to look for the long forgotten running shoes after that.

_V._

It surprised them at how moving in together felt so _easy_.

It wasn't long before they got used to living together. They ate breakfast and dinner together on most days (courtesy of Kahoko, of course, because Len plus a stove always meant trouble), and lounged in the living room in their free time. Usually he read books while she made lesson plans and checked schoolwork, but they also watched TV, both curled up on the sofa with Momo lying next to them.

They'd chat. Or for Len's part, at least try to. She'd talk about her students and their shenanigans ("_Oh you should see them, Tsukimori-kun! All worked up on a competition, saying things like 'dominating Japan' and 'eliminating the competition'."_) and he'd talk about his concerts, his previous travels, and just about anything related to music because that's what his life revolved around until they moved in together_._

They also had their music. When they knew talking wasn't enough, they'd grab their violins and play, and play, and play to their hearts content. Len liked this especially because he wasn't as chatty as Kahoko was (again, he was still learning), but with music he could tell her almost everything, and he knew that she would always listen.

_VI._

Kahoko had a feeling that living with Len would be different from living with her brother.

She was right, of course. Len was in no way messy. He had impeccable organization skills and even had to teach her a thing or two about cleaning, a trait that he acquired from living alone for so long.

Also unlike her brother, Len wasn't noisy. He barely even made a sound. Unless you start a conversation with him, he would rarely speak, and even then his answers would always be short and never sweet. Even the cat made more noise than he did.

Like her brother, however, Len was always there. Always cooped up in his bedroom, always playing in the practice room. Kahoko believed that if it was possible for Len to stay in the apartment forever he would do so without any complaints.

It was like living with a ghost.

Which is why she placed it upon herself to make sure that he went out of the apartment as much as possible, making sure that he got enough fresh air and sunlight ("_I am not a plant, Hino. Stop dragging me to the park.") _and tried to teach him a thing or two on being street smart because his total lack of a sense direction would get him into trouble sooner or later.

It took a lot of time and effort to convince him to accompany her to anywhere _but_ the apartment, always ending in her having to drag a very annoyed Tsukimori Len out the door with her. But everything paid off eventually when Len woke her up early one Sunday morning just so that they could walk the cat.


	3. Firsts

_VII._

Len was the first person that Kahoko told about the magic violin. It was when the power went out and they were sitting on the floor, having a glass of wine. They were reminiscing about high school and the concours when she blurted it out. Oddly enough, she wasn't as afraid of his reaction now than she was eight years ago.

He was silent for a while, his expression unreadable in the faint candlelight . Maybe he thought she was crazy, spewing out nonsense about fairies and magical strings. But the small smile on his lips caught her off guard. Had the alcohol gotten to him already?

"So I'm assuming this was all Lili the annoying Fata's doing? That little sprite really is troublesome. "

When she realized that she hadn't mentioned Lili's name, relief washed over her because at least he believed her, and surprisingly, that was enough for her.

_VIII._

Their first "argument" as roommates happened when Len arrived in _their _apartment and saw a man sitting on _their _couch. Before he could say anything, Kahoko came out of her room wearing a dress that showed a little bit too much for his liking and introduced them (he never bothered to remember the man's name). In minutes, both the man and Kahoko were out the door, leaving Len alone and slightly irritated.

"You shouldn't go around inviting strange men over."

"Fudou-san is a _colleague, _Tsukimori-kun. And you've met him before!"_  
_

"You still should have told me first."

"Who are you, my mother? And this is my-"

"What were you doing with him anyway?"

"I don't think that's any of your business now is it?"

They made up the next morning, but Len vowed that he'd make it his business. A feat that he'd been trying to achieve ever since they were juniors.

_IX._

Kahoko dreaded the first time Len would leave for a concert.

While Momo was a great companion, the tabby cat wasn't enough to fill Len's place, and she _hated _how lonely the apartment was without the Violin Prodigy.

It stemmed from deep down her subconscious. She feared that it would be like high school again; him leaving without a word and she'll be left behind, clinging to whatever she could to keep herself from falling.

Forgive and forget, she had told herself. Kahoko had forgiven Len a long time ago.

Forgetting was another issue

She was surprised when Len presented to her a planner with the dates of his trips (which, to her relief, weren't a lot and didn't last for longer than a week) and numbers that she could call in case she would need to contact him. If there were any changes, he'd tell her two days in advance.

Len didn't like to make the same mistake twice, it seemed.

While flipping through the pages, Kahoko couldn't help but grin when she saw balloons and the words "Hino's birthday. Don't forget!" scribbled in red ink on her birthday.

* * *

_I'd like to start off by saying thanks to the readers, it really means a lot. Also, thank you for pointing out the writing style. I apologize for not having clarified sooner. Basically, the chapters represent the stages of Len and Kahoko's relationship when they move in together, and show snippets of their development. I guess I could try explaining things deeper. Hopefully the story will better than before._

_I think I've made the characters a bit too OOC in this story, but what can you do? I know that in the game, all the characters (or at least the concours participants and Kaji) can see Lili, so I thought I could incorporate it here. Yousuke Fudou is one of the new characters introduced in the Million People of Corda game. Although I myself don't -can't- play the game, I've read that he's a third year college student and an intern at Seisou (and of course one of Kahoko's love interests). Anyway, I hope I could post an update before Tuesday. Happy reading! _


	4. Give and Take

_X._

"Is there something wrong?"

Kahoko had been staring at the piano Len had recently bought for days now, and it startled him when he saw the sad look in her eyes. Should he have discussed with her first?

"No, it's nothing. It just reminded me of the piano we used to have I was a younger."

"You had a piano?

She nodded. "You know... It was the first instrument I learned to play. Too bad we had to sell it for rent money before I could get any good at it."

Although usually being an open book, Kahoko rarely talked about her past, finding more interest in learning other's rather than delving into hers, so rare comments like these always got his attention.

Len looked at the piano then back to the redhead beside him. His mind went back to his tutoring days and even before he could ponder on the thought, he was already speaking.

"I'm not as skilled as the piano freak, but I could teach you if you want."

_XI._

Len didn't want to admit this, but ever since Kahoko moved in, sleeping in a bed other than the one in their apartment seemed impossible. It was absurd. He had done this so many times before and experienced little to no problem, but now, no matter soft the pillows were or how tired he was, he just couldn't sleep.

Her absence was unnerving and he found himself tossing and turning in bed, having half a mind to knock himself unconscious if he had to.

Len found that the only remedy to his plight was to call Kahoko up before going to bed, making up some lame excuse just so that he could hear her voice.

"Just admit that you missed me, you big block of ice." she told him after calling her up the third time in a row.

He no longer made excuses after that.

Two weeks later, when Len was unpacking in his hotel room, a picture of them on the living room floor -Kahoko laughing, Len smiling (you'll see it when you squint), and Momo sleeping on his lap- fell from one of his jackets. It was one of Nami's pictures, and on the back was the word 'home'.

The picture now held a permanent residence in his wallet.

_XII._

Living together was a learning experience for the both of them. Each lesson was different but were of equal importance.

The things they learned about themselves came as a surprise. For Len, it would be that his world didn't -_couldn't- _revolve around music alone. For Kahoko, it was that no matter how hard she practiced, no matter how long she played, she'd never be as great as Len or other violinists of his caliber (far from it, in fact), and she was okay with that.

The things they learned about each other (Len did in fact like sweets and Kahoko absolutely hated, _hated _thunderstorms) were labeled and stored, knowing it would come in handy someday.

Kahoko would teach Len things that he didn't know he needed to learn, didn't even know was possible, like how to cook without burning off his eyebrows or that it was perfectly _okay _to rest every once in a while. Len, being the good student that he is, would soak everything up like a sponge. In return, he would teach her everything he knew about the violin and music, turning her passion from a small spark into a blaze that even she didn't know existed.

If there was anything that Len was best at teaching, it was how to fall in love with the violin again.

He knows that it isn't enough to pay back even a third of what she's given him, so he gives her his heart.

Kahoko isn't aware of this, and in the beginning, neither was Len, but what they were both sure of was when Len started opening up, allowing her into his life to see the parts of him that he'd hidden for so long, they knew that they were both even.

* * *

_A/N: I apologize for the delay. My exams were this week and I was having a hard time finding plot bunnies. Hopefully this chapter will do. Happy reading!_


	5. Inklings

_XIII._

Len couldn't remember how, but Kahoko had managed to convince him to accompany her to Etou's Halloween party. He was dressed as a vampire, a costume which he and Kahoko got at the last minute because he sure as Hell wouldn't put any effort into something this silly. If it were up to him, however, he would just go as Tsukimori Len, world-renowned violinist, but Kahoko would have none of that.

_'Where is Hino, anyway?' _he thought. He was drinking some awful excuse for a drink when he heard the unmistakable chiming behind him.

When he turned around, there she was, dressed in that damn belly dancing outfit. Len was completely against her wearing it, saying that she'd attract unwanted attention (_'Give me a break. I'm a single woman in her twenties, I _need _this.'_). Much to his displeasure, he decided to watch her like a hawk throughout the entire evening because God forbid that a scantily clad Kahoko would attract any more trouble than she normally would.

Len took a long pause to look at her. The long slits of Kahoko's gold skirt was giving him -and unfortunately all the men in the room- a view of her long legs. The skirt hung low, exposing the creamy expanse of her toned stomach, and the bejeweled top that barely covered her breasts was only tied by a string around her neck, left her back exposed. And those bells...

The small bells on her hips were maddening, their chiming drawing him in with every sway, every movement.

Kahoko was in every way delicious.

Len didn't know if it was his costume talking, but he had the sudden urge to bite her like the forbidden fruit that she was.

_XIV._

Kahoko was woken from her nap when a jet-lagged Len arrived at their apartment. He was exhausted, having just finished a concert in Prague, so she shooed him to his room to settle down while she prepared dinner.

Still sleep-deprived, Kahoko was in a daze as she cooked. Noticing that she was missing an ingredient, she went to the kitchen cupboard and stood on tiptoe to reach for it, her hand feeling its way through the shelf. In her groggy state, she haphazardly grabbed for the spice container, making some condiments and canned food fall on the floor, giving a loud clatter upon impact on the tiles.

Kahoko gave out a curse and bent down to pick up the fallen cans and bottles when Len barged.

"What happened?" he asked, clearly alarmed by the noise.

"Everything's fine. It was just me being-" Kahoko began as she stood back up, only to be cut off when she saw a shirtless Len standing before her. He had just gotten out of his shower, his skin still glistening from the water and his damp, cerulean hair sticking to his face, barely having any time to dry off when he heard the clattering and cursing.

She could already feel herself blushing as she stared at the lad, taking in the broadness of his shoulders, his toned chest, and the faint V-line that peeked above his pajama bottoms. Living with a male roommate, seeing him like this was bound to happen eventually.

She just never imagined that she would get so turned on by it.

"Clumsy? I figured as much. You're face is red, by the way. Are you alright?" Len asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Uh.. yeah. It's the steam, it just got too hot in here," she mustered, fanning herself with her hands "Dinner will be ready soon."

Kahoko gave out a sigh of relief when he went back to his room, but her mind went back into haywire when she got a sight of Len's backside.

_XV._

"Hey, uh... I might be out late tomorrow night, so don't wait up for me," Kahoko said, picking at her food with her chopsticks as she did so.

"Oh?" Len replied.

She picked at her food. "I kind of have a date tomorrow."

"On a Thursday?"

"Yeah, well... It _is_ Valentine's day."

Len stared at her. "I see. You know, I find it offensive that you instantly assume that I don't have any plans myself."

Kahoko raised an eyebrow. "Well... do you?"

He crossed his arms. "Yes. As a matter of fact, I have an appointment myself."

"Must you call a date an 'appointment'?" she asked, shaking her head.

"You can if it feels like one," he mumbled, soft enough for Kahoko not to hear.

Eyes distant, they ate their dinner in silence with neither knowing what to say. When the were washing the dishes, Kahoko was the first to break the silence.

"So... is it someone I know? Ooooh, is she pretty?" she teased.

Len shook his head. "Shut up, Hino."

"Don't forget to use protection."

Len splashed some soap water at Kahoko's face, earning a small yelp from the red-head.

"Now shut up and hand me that pot," he said, smirking when Kahoko stuck out her tongue at him.

Although small, their act of playfulness was enough to mask the strange heaviness they felt in their chests for now.

Tomorrow was going to be difficult.

* * *

_A/N: This was... difficult. My apologies for the late upload. Aside from my academics, I put off writing this chapter because frankly, I had no idea on how to go through with this. The chapter was supposedly about how the two were starting to become aware of their feelings for each other, but I don't think it came out well. So if the chapter seems sloppy and vague, I apologize greatly._

_Still, many thanks for reading. I'll update this as soon as I can._


	6. Skeletons

_XVI._

Kahoko stops towel-drying her hair when she stands in front of a full-length mirror. She throws her towel on the bed and takes three steps forward, the image in front of her doing the same. She's in a daze, eyes filled with curiosity while scanning over exposed skin and supple flesh.

Her hands graze over her arms and thighs as she turns sideways, and pokes at her belly, shaking her head as she does so. She faces her reflection once again, her fingers trailing her collarbone down to her sternum.

Kahoko pauses, eyes now staring intently on the faint scars that marred her chest and her stomach. Scars that were once open flesh, painful and bleeding.

Years before the taxi cab incident, Kahoko used to live alone. She wasn't sure if she could do it, being so accustomed to living with her siblings, but surprisingly, going home to an empty apartment everyday didn't bother her. She finally felt like an adult -strong and independent- and wanted it to last for as long as possible.

Unfortunately, this new-found independence began to crumble after a year when she found her front door unlocked one afternoon.

Kahoko paid no heed to it then, thinking that she must have forgotten to lock it when she rushed out of the apartment. Nor did she take notice the second time it happened, being so busy with work.

She got worried the third time it happened.

_Let me go. Let me go. Let me go._

She started getting paranoid. Every rustle, every thump, every little sound that she'd hear made her freeze up. Often she'd feel like someone was watching her every move, like someone was breathing down her neck, _enjoying_ how much she crumbled with each passing day.

It wasn't just the door. Some of her things went missing too. Things that she knew she couldn't have misplaced. Things that were personal, like pictures or underwear.

She _knew_ this was real. There was no way that this was just her imagination running wild. Every time she left her apartment, she made sure that she locked the door. Every. Damn. Time.

_Stop... Just stop. Please.._

It's been weeks since she had a decent night's sleep, and one night, she finally decided that she's had enough. After getting a glass of water from the fridge, she sat back down on the edge of her bed and proceeded to grab the bottle of sleeping pills from her nightstand.

The hot breath that greeted her ankles froze her in place.

Kahoko would've wanted to lie at this point, to smile and say that she escaped, because who doesn't love a happy ending?

She gently touches the scar on her inner thigh and flinches. The scar -like the ones on her upper body- had already healed, now barely even noticeable, but sometimes she could still feel it; cold metal on skin, stinging and burning as it dragged across her body. She could still feel _him; _clammy and heavy and _vile_.

The monsters under the bed are real.

_I just want this to end._

Her finger traces an invisible line down her cheek three times. But she did have a happy ending. She's still here isn't she? Still walking and breathing and _living. _That's all that matters, that's all there is to it.

Kahoko is more careful now. She makes sure that she locks the doors six times.

Closes the windows three times.

Turns the light on and off nine times.

It's clear, however, that although her physical scars have healed, the psychological scars were a different story, as she was now graced with the beginnings of a blooming case of OCD.

She tries to be very discreet about it, repressing her urges to a light tapping on a table or running a finger up and down the side of a coffee mug. Sometimes she doesn't mind it, because at least she has some form of control of her life, but most days Kahoko is suddenly so aware of everything that it makes her head spin and her body weary.

_"_Oi, get your lazy ass out of there. I made dinner."

Kahoko wonders sometimes if she should tell Len about it. Tell him why she dreaded being left alone in their apartment, why she even agreed to move in with him in the first place.

Why she keeps doing things three, six, or even nine times, as if on instinct (should always always always be a multiple of three).

She knows he'd already seen one of her scars. Surprisingly, it wasn't during Etou's party (thank God for dim lighting and concealer), but last week during their when her shirt rode up just a little too high as she cleaned the bookshelves (making sure to wipe each shelf six times). Len never said anything about it, sticking to his 'it's none of my business' spiel, but Kahoko noticed how his gaze lingered a little too long for her liking (a good fifty-three seconds).

Kahoko quickly puts on her clothes, runs her fingers through her hair (one, two, three, four, five, six), and turns the doorknob.

_Turn the doorknob. Turn the doorknob. Turn the doorknob._

_Open the door. Close the door. Open the door. Close the door. Open the door. Close the door._

_Right. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. _

It takes her twelve steps to make it to the dining table. Kahoko feels guilty, like she had broken some kind of unspoken rule between them. It's eating her up inside because she's not one to keep secrets from anyone, especially Len.

"If you wanted to kill me, you could've just stabbed me in the shower."

"Har dee har har. Make yourself useful and set up the table." Len replies, trying his best to cover the small smile on his lips.

_Smile on his lips. Smile on his lips. Smile on his lips._

Kahoko grins and waves him off. She knows that neither of them were ready. Not yet, anyway. She grabs the silverware and plates and starts setting up the table, softly humming and gives a light tap tap tap on the side of their glasses. She decides that enjoying the calm before the storm is enough for now.

_XVII._

Len stares at the view before him, the cup of tea he held in his hands somehow forgotten. It was a beautiful view. The city lights –varying in all different shapes and colors- were glowing brilliantly, mimicking the stars that covered the evening sky. The air was cool and the surroundings quiet, the sound of passing vehicles breaking the silence every now and then. It was evenings like these when he's grateful for being an insomniac.

Everything below him looks tiny, and it reminds him how high up he is. Not long ago, Len would've felt uneasy, but his fear of heights has now been dulled and he wonders how that happened.

Len grabs onto the edge of the railing and hoists himself up.

Nights like these reminded Len of his college days. Thinking back, most of his memories as a student consisted of textbooks and violin strings, lengthy lectures and shitty professors, half - assed papers (not that he'll ever admit it) and endless pieces, all-nighters and dreamless sleep. He vaguely remembers going to college parties, all due to the insistence of his roommates. Just the idea of sweaty bodies rubbing against him made his skin crawl, but watching his friends make a fool out of themselves was well worth it.

Oh, and there was music.

There would always be music.

Len has his fair share of demons -demons that were once the monsters under his bed- and although he constantly reminds himself that monsters aren't real, he still can't bring himself to sleep, too afraid of the demons that linger and creep, waiting for him to drop his defenses, to close his eyes and submit to the darkness.

The violin became his solace during such sleepless nights, like a blanket of comfort that he could always depend on. Len rarely dreams, so the melodies his violin sings -all warm and vivid and not at all like Len's reality- make up for it. The images that flood him are overwhelming, and with a stroke of his bow, Len is put in a trance, suddenly pulled into a whole different world and is just too engrossed to care about anything else but music.

It kept his demons at bay, and even if it was only for a little while, Len was always grateful. His violin would keep him safe.

Len continues to stare at the illuminated city, legs swinging slightly as he sits on the railing. With a new-found confidence, he steadies himself and attempts to stand. The wind is stronger now, ruffling his hair and his clothes, but his attempts are successful. Len's gaze goes downward and he starts feeling dizzy, the sense of deja vu hitting him like a battering ram, forcing him to close his eyes.

It's funny how things suddenly go sour when you start becoming comfortable. When Len's eyes open, the scene around him changes. He's no longer on his balcony.

He's standing on a bridge.

The wind starts howling with intensity, bringing heavy rain along with it. The water below is dark and raging, and it's terrifying how strong the waves are, terrifying how the sea could swallow him whole and leave without a trace. His hands are gripping one of the metal beams, but the rain makes everything slippery and he doesn't know how long he can hang on.

In that moment, Len is twenty two again. He wakes up one day and everything is just _wrong_. He's so afraid that the first thing he does is grab his violin and start playing, waiting for the warm, fuzzy feeling to take over him and make everything _right._

It doesn't happen. There's no warmth, no overwhelming images, no vivid dreams.

No, it's not just a simple loss of inspiration. For the first time in his life, the violin -_his _violin_-_ feels foreign. It's frightening how heavy it felt despite being so _empty_, so devoid of feeling and emotion. He keeps playing, telling himself over and over that everything will go back to normal, that everything will be okay because this is just a nightmare and all he needs to do is _wake up._

His refuge no longer existed. The safety blanket that he had kept for so long was now torn. Len was suddenly forced to face his reality without so much as a heads up and it wasn't fair. Music was the only constant in his life, something that he knows like the back of his hand. Now that it's gone, he has no idea in what to do. He's lost and it absolutely frightens him.

He's scared, scared right down to the bone because there's nothing to that could hold his demons back. He's scared because the drive inside him is dimming and he's just too tired to fight back.

The desire to jump is overwhelming, the dark ocean below whispering promises of peace that could put an end to his nightmares. Len wants to do it, wants to end this chase so badly.

His thoughts were ended when he loses his footing and slips.

Len closes his eyes, awaiting the painful smack to his body as he hits the water, but when he opens his eyes, he realizes that he's still on the bridge (albeit dangling dangerously over its edge). He's gripping on the edge for dear life, desperately trying to pull himself up.

If that's any indication that he's still not ready to die, he doesn't know what is.

It's a blur of white walls, prescriptions, and "How does that make you feel?" after that. When deemed sane enough to leave and live a somewhat normal life, he moves out of his one bedroom apartment and books the earliest ticket to Japan, his violin in tow. When he arrives, he can't help but grin because for the first time in years, he's finally _home. _

No more running, he decides, and he picks up his violin and plays.

It makes a beautiful sound.

Len blinks and he's back on the balcony again. Still a bit dazed, he steps back down and takes a sip of his tea, grimacing at how cold it has gotten. After a few minutes, he hears soft humming and turns around, greeted by a bleary-eyed Kahoko.

"Here. I made some hot chocolate," she says with a yawn as she hands him his mug. She stands next to him and leans over the railing, her own mug of cocoa in hand.

"You okay?" she asks, still looking at the view before them. Len takes a sip of his own drink, savoring the taste of the rich liquid as warmth spreads over him.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Len replies. He means it this time.

_XVIII._

There are days when both of them are just so tired, exhausting themselves both physically and mentally to the point of numbness. By the time they got home, they were dead to the world. Side by side they'd flop on the couch and lean against each other. They'd sit there with they're eyes closed, trying steady their breathing, too drained to move or think.

They're safe here, enveloped in the comfort of their soft couch and the warmth that radiated from each others bodies. The sound of their breathing is a metronome, soft and steady and soothing. Too tired to to get up but not tired enough to sleep, they stay there for some time, content with each others presence.

There are no monsters, no demons, no counting, no emptiness. Just Len and Kahoko and their two-bedroom apartment.

This peace, it's theirs. It's theirs and they're happy and they wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

_A/N: Yeah... So that 's been what, three months since I've updated? I'm sorry if I left you guys hanging but like always, life got in the way. And I may or may not have gotten addicted to Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan). If you haven't read the manga or watched the series, do it now. Seriously._

_I really wanted to get this chapter out of my system. I don't know why, but I keep seeing Len and Kaho as people with heavy baggage and I really wanted to write a back story for them. I've been playing around with my usual writing style and ended up with this. I apologize if it's sloppy and a tad bit too long. Initially I wanted to separate this from the main story (kind of like a companion piece instead) because it's so different from the other chapters, but I decided against it. Tell me what you guys think, criticism is always welcome. And thanks for all the support, it really pushed me to finish this chapter. Happy reading!_


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